Four of the Pirates' infielders assumed their positions four hours before first pitch Wednesday; Josh Bell at first base, Jose Osuna across the diamond, and Pablo Reyes at shortstop with Kevin Kramer standing a few feet next to second base.
Joey Cora, the team's infielders and third base coach, moved from player to player, delivering individualized instruction, some of which was utilized during a 2-1 win over the Royals to secure a series sweep at PNC Park later that night. This wasn't some impromptu coaching session, either. Every game day, hours before the gates open at whichever ballpark, infielders gather to field ground balls and perform structured drills, even with the season drawing to a close.
This particular practice allowed Osuna, Reyes and Kramer, all of whom spent much of this season in Triple-A, to receive major league instruction at positions they could possibly play for the Pirates — now 77-74 and winners in 11 of their last 14 — next season. And these sessions have only grown in importance, as the club's infield defense has again been one of its prominent weaknesses.
"I think it’s very clear that our corners can get better defensively," Neal Huntington told reporters Sunday in Milwaukee. "Josh Bell has worked hard to get better, but we still have room for improvement. Colin Moran, I think would be the first one to admit to you, the speed of the game was a bit faster than he anticipated, and he’ll have a good offseason and improve there.... We know that we need to get better defensively in the infield, and our guys are working on that. Whether the internal personnel’s there, we’ll take a look to see what’s available externally, but our infield defense is definitely an area where we can get better. Our guys know that and are going to work hard to do that.
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